RDU Audio: Wammo IVs Author Alain De Botton

RDU Audio: Wammo IVs Author Alain De
Botton

Interview in two parts (audio
below): Alain De Botton says the one of the great, but often
unmentioned, causes of both happiness and misery is the
quality of our environment: the kind of walls, chairs,
buildings and streets we’re surrounded by.

And yet a concern for
architecture and design is too often described as frivolous,
even self-indulgent. The Architecture of Happiness
starts from the idea that where we are heavily
influences who we can be - and argues that it is
architecture’s task to stand as an eloquent reminder of our
full potential.

Whereas many architects are wary of
openly discussing the word beauty, the book has at its
centre the large and naïve question: ‘What is a beautiful
building?’ It amounts to a tour through the philosophy and
psychology of architecture, which aims to change the way we
think about our homes, streets and ourselves.

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